Young Adult

Probably most appropriate for Valentine’s Day, this terrific collection of short stories by some of America’s leading young adult authors – from Nikki Grimes to Jon Scieszka – exposes teens to the trials, tumult and hilarity of young love.

A teen soldier returns home from the Iraq War with a tramautic brain injury, and everything has changed for him and the people closest to him. Not since All Quiet on the Western Front have I read a book that deals better with the realities rather than the “glamour” of war. This book should be in every school.

I just saw a teacher reading this with her class and could not believe I had forgotten to include this book on a previous list. Despite what the title may suggest, boys will enjoy this collection of supernatural short stories just as much as girls.

I read this book to a middle school class, and they loved it. A runaway lives off the land in this fun book. A good read for those who are suffering a midlife crisis, as well.

This needs to be in every middle school teacher’s classroom library, as it is one of the best books I have read with my students that deals with the complexities of growing up biracial. Danny – yes, I like books with main characters who share my name – feels out of place in white neighborhoods and Mexican neighborhoods because he is a mix of both. This is the first book I have read by de la Pena, and I am definitely going to read a lot more.

A teen will do just about anything legal to secure her family’s financial future to avoid ever being homeless again. Very touching and poignant story of life in the inner city.

Think Black Swan for teens. Will Taylor, Julian, Alexandra and Kaitlyn rise to the challenges of performing the ballet Coppelia? Read and find out.

Someone recently pointed out that I had not yet included a Beverly Cleary book. I am sorry for the omission, as she is one of the most important children's authors of the 20th century. Each year, Ralph the Mouse intrigues scores of children to dive into chapter books.

I love this book. If you are a teacher trying to decide on books to buy for your classroom with your limited personal funds, this is the type of book I would recommend (along with anthologies). Boys and girls alike (but especially girls) will enjoy these brief biographies and hopefully be drawn to read more about these amazing women (I particularly enjoyed the essay on educator Mary McLeod Bethune).

Your students – boy and girls alike – will not be able to put it down, as it chronicle’s a 14-year-old girl’s harrowing adventures on a sailboat, dealing with storms, pirates and all sorts of twists and turns.

When 12-year-old Robin, the son of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, spots someone on Shildii Rock staring at him, he just knows something is wrong. He sets out to solve the mystery with his friend Wayne in this page-turner that mixes mystery and mythology while exposing students to native peoples of the Northwest Territories in Canada.

If you have seen me speak, you have heard me praise my seventh grade reading teacher, Will Hobbs. He was one of the teachers that encouraged me to write (and he still does), and now he is one of the most important young adult authors in America. Bearstone is one of his first books, and I think it is one of the best coming of age stories available to middle school students. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to any book by Will Hobbs.

Attention to parents and teachers with reluctant boy readers: I have found a solution to your problems. Chris Lynch is the kind of writer that gets boys interested in reading, and once your boys zip through this book, hand them copies of its predecessors, Slot Machine and Extreme Elvin. Any teenage boy will be able to identify with Lynch’s loveable protagonist, Elvin Bishop.

The first book in the “Blast to the Past” series that features stories of people who persevered. I love how young readers come away realizing that everyone has doubts but successful people keep on trying. This book is also filled with all sorts of little-known historical goodies (like how the White House was not known as such in the 1860s), and it makes for easy reading.

I wish this book was around when I was a teenager. For those teenagers nervous about entering high school, college or, heaven forbid, the real world, this is a great “career guide.” What I mean is that it works as an inspirational guide to get kids thinking about goals and directions to take to meet those goals. Frankly, I’d recommend this book to 90 percent of the adults I know. Great for those in need of “focus.”